You know how the stores will put swimwear out in the middle of winter? Or coats and gloves out in the middle of summer? They are just getting ready for the next season but come on it’s still cold outside and I need a pair of gloves! Or more irritating for some, they put all the Christmas stuff out before *gasp* Halloween. (I love Christmas, so you’ll never hear me whining about this one.) Although, I do find it so jarring that on Christmas day or even the day after, the radio immediately stops playing Christmas music and all the stores look like a ginormous Valentine’s Day ad. I’m still in a Christmas-y mood. What happened? Confession time, it’s very much like this at my house.
As soon as one holiday ends we talk about the next one. It doesn’t matter how far away it is either. As soon as the last firework goes off signaling the end of our Independence Day, despite how irritating it is; Nancy starts talking about Halloween. We try to explain how far away Halloween is and, “Seriously, it’s still the Fourth of July stop talking about Halloween!” We know it’s coming. She does this every year and for every holiday. We still cringe, and it doesn’t matter which holiday it is either. After the last Christmas present is opened, she starts talking about sending Valentine’s day cards and we say, “Nancy it’s still Christmas stop talking about Valentine’s day!”
So, we live by the holidays. It’s how we tell time and know what season it is. We just had Halloween. Our niece and her husband brought up their little boys, Harry Potter and Link from Legend of Zelda?. They trick-or-treated the house. Nancy dressed as a Minion and got plenty of candy, too. We had a fun little pizza party with the family and just enjoyed everyone’s company. She’s been trying to talk about Halloween for the last three months.
Now, Thanksgiving is around the corner and I approve of her Thanksgiving talk timeliness. She is talking about what she wants our nephew Jacob to put on her plate. I’m not sure how he got the honor of making Nancy a plate of food every family holiday, but she absolutely looks forward to being waited on like a princess. Who wouldn’t! But Thanksgiving is just a blip on her radar. She is more excited about buying Christmas gifts. She started in the day before Halloween. She wants me to order something online, so she can get one of those cool Amazon boxes.
You may be thinking, “Oh Kelly, just indulge her and get it over with. She’s just excited. It’ll make her happy having all the Christmas shopping done.” I hold my pointer finger up. Just a sec, I’m having a moment here. I’m daydreaming about how nice that would be. I wrap my hands around my warm coffee mug and deeply breath in the aroma. I sigh pleasantly. Okay, back to reality. Here’s the thing she’s never content. Sure, it would make her happy, but only for a second. You see, we could go out right now and have a big-time shopping, but when we get back, she will think of something else to fret about and to bug about. It usually sounds something like this:
- “When are you wrapping the presents?”
- “What paper are you using?”
- “Can I look at the gifts?”
- “Who is this for?”
- “Did I buy so and so a gift?”
- “Are so and so buying ME a gift?”
- “Let’s do the cards.”
- “When are we doing the cards?”
- “Did you mail the cards?”
- “Did you put the bookmarks in the cards?”
- “What did you write in the cards?”
- “Did you remember to send so and so a card?”
- “What are we having for Christmas dinner?”
- “I hope Jacob makes my plate for me.”
- “Did you buy candy?”
- “Can I have some candy?”
- “When are you baking cookies?”
- “Are we gonna frost cookies?”
- “Are you making Billy a cherry pie? He loves cherry pies.”
- “Can I make a cherry pie for Billy?” (I know the song is stuck in your head now, too.)
If you’ve read Behavior Modification and Routines: Hit Repeat, then this sounds pretty familiar. Nancy often gets stuck on repeat. I will hear those things over and over until Christmas is over, but she will quickly move on to the next holiday or birthday and start another similar list of comments and questions to worry and bug about.
For the most part, I will pick dates on the calendar and mark what we are doing and when, but I often forget to do this. *Note to self, go mark in Nancy’s calendar. This helps a little bit, because she now knows that we are truly going to do it, but she still bugs about it until it’s done. Despite her, dare I say irritating, quirks she has many awesome qualities, too.
I like Nancy’s excitement for every new holiday. I enjoy her childlike anticipation and wonder for every holiday. I admire her trust in people. She knows they will send her cards or bring her a gift. Just wait, you’ll see! I love that she has such a giving heart. Last year we had so much fun going shopping together. Here’s my Facebook post from last year talking about that big heart of hers:
“Today was Nancy’s Christmas shopping day. She had a big-time spending her money on other people. It’s one of her favorite things to do. Her second favorite thing is bugging and bossing her baby sister (me) around. ? But I digress, Nancy is generous to a fault. If you visit our house she will go into her room, find a special gift from her personal collection, and give it away to you. She loves sending out cards to friends and family, too. When birthdays and holidays roll around, she can barely contain her excitement because she gets to give. What a great example she sets for this season!”
So, no matter the season, we are looking forward to the next one on the calendar. We may even be a little early, but we haven’t forgotten to enjoy every little bit of the holidays with excitement, anticipation and wonder. Come on over. Nancy may be talking about the current one, but no guarantees. She may even rush to her room to find you a special gift from her collection of trinkets. Merry Hallowthankschristmas! Er, Happy New Valenpatricks, year? Oh, well enjoy whatever holiday we are currently having.
How’s your day going? Do your kids mark the year by what holiday it is, too?